Waiting for the Next Golden Age

spaceman23 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:14:19 +0000

Today I was meeting with some friends about the next party we want to throw. We are looking for the next big thing, asking ourselves what the future of the LA party scene will look like. Nobody knows what it will be. We keep thinking about it and coming up with no sure answers. Then Zak hit it.

“Everyone is ready for the next thing to happen. The world has been so fucked up lately, and it is clearly going to end. But until it does, they are all holding their breath until it changes.”

That’s it. We’re exhausted and want the next age to start now.

I can only speak for myself here, but I have seen the world getting darker and more horrible at every turn for the entirety of my adult life. This is happening every day, wars on drugs, terror and nations, political corruption, people around the world hating Americans, out of control police power, a fear mongering shill media, environmental catastrophe just on the horizon, and on, and on.

This is simultaneous with my immediate community growing at this exponential rate. Every day, the amazing people in my world expand in number and quality. We grow in leaps and bounds. Every time I leave my home, the people I interact with are brighter and brighter. People have hope, they dream ready for a new world and a quantum leap forward. They are causing these leaps forward in their own lives. It’s inspiring really. I see this emerging culture that I get to be a part of, and on a personal level we are winning!

I had this thought the other day, it was a fleeting one, but I chose to hold onto it. Why can’t we enter a New Golden Age (or a Second Renaissance)? Obama getting the nomination has me all psyched about what is possible. Imagine a world where we work things out in world with some integrity! I can see this whole possible reality full of scientific breakthrough, political honor, artistic exploration, ruthless acts of love and peace, freedom for everyone, environmental healing and a new economic system that could generate abundance for all. What will be our generation’s moon landing? Is it possible that we will move out of what history will call the second dark ages? Can our age transform the failures of the past into a beautiful future of light?

I say it’s so crazy, it just might work.

After I started picturing this new world, I found this in my RSS feed. Man, that Cory Doctorow is reading my parallel universe generator.

http://www.fugue.com/pics/goodnews.html

via boingboing at http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/08/google-news-from-a-b.html

So here is my request: Read this front page, and imagine it coming to pass. Visualize a possible reality where these stories could become true and real. Share your audacious ideas of what amazing things can alter the world to your benign will. See it. It’s coming.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

Back to Life

spaceman23 — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:47:00 +0000

(image from the UK cover)

It took me a little longer to get back into the swing of life after getting back from the forest (and i certainly did not work as hard as some!). I have spent the last few days trying to get back into life in the big city, and it has definitely been challenging.

I liked having my little canvas cabin in the woods, I liked having my meals catered, I liked the simplicity of working all day, going to sleep and doing it all over again. Now, it has all gone back to normal and dealing with the mundanity of life bores me to unconsciousness. Traffic makes me want to doze off almost immediately. Where the hell do all these people come from?

Here’s what I have been up to. Don’t judge me.

1. I have been reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. When I was visiting San Fransisco, I walked by a window advertising a signing by Cory. I am a huge fan. He is one of the editors of Boing Boing and one of the brightest minds in science fiction. But alas, the signing was going to be while I was at LIB. The sweet people at the shop offered to send it to me when he came.

Because Cory is the super-coolest writer ever, amd he believes obscurity is a bigger problem than piracy, you can also download the book for free at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

“To Spaceman, Live Free” the inscription read when I got home. The book is incredible. It is a young adult novel, his first foray into that realm. It is basically a novelized manual for how to beat homeland security at their own game for young people. I would say that young adults like us should read it too. I am seriously considering doing an online companion site for Little Brother, a resource for the tech and countermeasures taught in the book.

2. My dad had a birthday the other day. I can’t believe that my dad is 60. He doesn’t look it, at all. It is always this great check on ourselves to note how long the years really can be. I deeply love my dad. He’s such a good guy.

3. I stayed away from the sugar and the alcohol at LIB and am recommitting to hitting the gym 3 time a week at minimum again. My body image has been shifting in the last few weeks, and I am liking what I am seeing. It is true, I am one sexy mothafucka.

I am also recommitting to getting content on this blog every godsdamn day. I miss blogging, I am back.

4. I registered a theme camp this year: Voodoo Bistro. Camping and Voodoo. Limited capacity. No slackers and no big art. We shall see if the BORG approves it. http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=layout1bs1.jpg

5. Wolfie, ever the pusher, has been hounding me for weeks to start in his little World of Warcraft cult. “Come over,” he says, “we’ll have a few laughs, kill a few monsters and take their stuff” he says. This week, I caved and played. I am so scared, because it is so much fun.

There is deep social meaning in this. It is an incredibly well designed game. I can’t help but think that these will be the new secure chat rooms.

6. My flip video camera rules. I got some great footage out at LIB. I want to cut some of it together, but am daunted by the quicktime-imovie thing. It is just so many steps. A video monkey who can help me on this ill win my eternal gratitude and a nice dinner or lunch. Please help me.

7. Oh yes, I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the other night. I was impressed. I thought there were some really cool references to some stuff that I am really into like multidimensional thinking, area 51, and forbidden archeology. AND it is a genre action film, thought best of as a pulp novel brought to life. Go into it expecting unbelievable two fisted tales, and you will get what you paid for.

The View From Space » doctorow

Waiting for the Next Golden Age

Back to Life